More Than Just a Game
by andIJDC
Summary: AU Rukia and Ichigo find themselves trapped inside a virtual reality game where they must complete the quest set upon them to find the way to escape meanwhile meeting strange new people who help with their quest


_**A/N: **_So this story is kind of like an extension to my previous one-shot, Not Just A Game (as you can probably tell from the so _very _creative title.) There's no need to read that to understand this. While the one-shot was based more off of the game _Resident Evil 4_ and had no _real _resolution, this one was inspired more from my brothers' recent addiction to _Oblivion_ and will have a (hopefully) better ending. In my opinion, this first chapter seems kind of dragged on, but as an excuse I simply say "it adds to the overall mood of the story." :D

_**Disclaimer: **_Bleach © Tite Kubo

* * *

_In the ancient recipe, the three antidotes for dullness or boredom are sleep, drink, and travel.  
__It is rather feeble.  
From sleep you wake up, from drink you become sober, and from travel you come home again.  
And then where are you?  
No, the two sovereign remedies for dullness are love or a crusade.  
-D.H. Lawrence_

**Trapped in Boredom:**

A collective sigh escaped the lips of two teens lounging lazily on the back porch of the large manor.

"Mind telling me why I'm here again, oh 'Grand Mistress of Fun' Rukia?" the orange haired boy asked of his companion as he stared blankly out into the vast expanse of perfectly-green, freshly-cut grass stretching out endlessly before him.

"Oh, shut your trap Ichigo," the dark haired girl replied, her petite form slumped low in her wicker chair. "How was I supposed to know Nii-sama was having such important guests over today that he'd actually ban us- well, _you_," she revised under her breath, "from going inside the house?"

Ichigo let his head loll over to his left in the general direction of the girl and stared at her questioningly. "Uh, maybe 'cause he's your _brother _and you _live _with him," he stated matter-of-factly.

Rukia glared at him from behind her dark sunglasses. "Just because I live with him does not mean he tells me every little detail of his oh so glorious life."

"Well just 'cause he doesn't _tell _you doesn't mean you don't have the right to _ask_," Ichigo countered.

"Oh, yeah, because I'm just supposed to go right up to my brother, _Byakuya Kuchiki_- founder and CEO of Kuchiki Incorporated, and ask him about his day's plans, everyday, as if I were his freaking mother," Rukia said sarcastically. "Yeah, that would go over _real _well with him- me wasting his already strained time with useless questions." She rolled her eyes behind her shades.

"At least we wouldn't be stuck here bored shitless, watching the freaking grass grow!" Ichigo muttered angrily, aggravation growing- an almost automatic reaction when his friend's arrogant older brother was mentioned.

"Yeah, we'd just be out in your house doing the exact same thing!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Are you saying I wouldn't have been able to find something more entertaining than _this_?" Ichigo said, waiving a frustrated hand in the direction of the expansive yard.

"No- I'm saying it's not my damn fault you're so bored!"

"Really? 'Cause common sense says it is!"

"Well 'common sense' tells me you're an idiot!"

"What hell kind of common sense are you running on?"

"The kind that people with a brain like to use!"

/o/o/o/

And so the childish, pointless, and somewhat idiotic argument continued on in the same manner for a few more minutes until it finally disintegrated into nothing, no one person the clear _stated _winner, allowing a long period of silence to once again lazily stroll over them in the humid summer morning...

Another exasperated sigh flew from the bored duo's mouths.

"When the hell is Renji coming back?" Ichigo grumbled, his angry gaze now lingering on one of the Kuchiki's many gardeners who was trimming a tall bush into perfection underneath the burning heat of the sun.

"Again, how the hell should I know?" Rukia replied lazily.

"I thought that was what friends told each other," Ichigo merely replied.

"You're his friend too," Rukia reminded him, now also watching the men working on her brother's yard as the sun glared down on the workers mercilessly.

One of the gardeners stopped his work momentarily and wiped at the large beads of sweat forming on his brow with a rag, looking up to stare at the large orange ball of fire hanging in the sky before replacing the rag back into his back pants pocket. He readjusted his large sun hat and continued to work as the sun beat down on him.

Both Ichigo and Rukia automatically reached for their glasses of quickly-depleting cold lemonade sitting on the small table between them and sipped at their drinks desperately.

Hoping to take his mind off the heat Ichigo quickly responded, "Yeah, but unlike you, I don't call him every single damn day and night."

"Hey!" Rukia exclaimed, blushing slightly at having been practically accused of keeping tabs on her friend, "I don't call Renji every day!" Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her making Rukia's blush darken, more from anger than embarrassment.

Ichigo rolled his eyes knowing full well he had guessed right by the color of Rukia's face. "Right," Ichigo muttered with a smirk. Rukia huffed but said nothing more. A momentary silence once again made its appearance known.

"So..." Ichigo began, "When's he comin' back?" he asked again, more for the sake of talking than actually caring about the arrival of his friend.

"Hasn't said."

"Then why don't you just ask him?"

"Ok, I am not having this argument with you again," Rukia stated, finality ringing in her voice.

Ichigo sighed again and turned his scowling expression up to look at the wooden railings above him. He knew better than to look at the workers again. It was a good thing the Kuchikis' had yet another worker who was in charge of providing the gardeners with refreshments or Ichigo would have just about passed out if he had had to walk out from underneath this heavenly shade to share his just-as-holly drink with them by moral obligation.

Remembering his drink, Ichigo picked up his wet glass, small drops of water having condensed on the sides, only to hear the sound of ice clinking against empty glass. He glanced at the table hopefully. The pitcher was also completely sucked dry. He began inhaling deeply, about to heave another sigh, when Rukia suddenly jumped up from her seat making Ichigo jump startled.

"Come on, let's go!" she said taking off her sunglasses, revealing violet eyes that shone brightly with excitement. "I know what we can do."

Ichigo sunk lower in his chair groaning internally. Rukia was smiling. That kind of large, creepy grin that always gave him chills. The same smile that had always correctly foreshadowed some kind of disaster for Renji and himself on numerous previous occasions.

"Y-you know what," Ichigo started, fidgeting ever so slightly as Rukia continued to smile. "I think I'm just gonna- whaaa!"

Ichigo was unable to finish as he clambered off unsteadily after Rukia who had yanked him up from his chair and out from under the shade of the back porch into the blazing sunshine and towards who knows what adventure.

/o/o/o/

Rukia and Ichigo heaved another great big sigh as they continued to walk down the empty streets of Karakura town, their feet practically cooking on the scorching cement of the sidewalk.

Ichigo's worry had all been for naught as the local beauty salon had, thankfully, been closed. What Rukia had planned to do there, Ichigo didn't even want to ask, the mere possibilities frightening him to no end.

They continued to walk in silence for a while, taking odd turns at random corners, not really paying much attention to where they were going, until an unfortunately familiar voice reached their ears.

"Oh, Kuchiki-san! Berry-san! What great timing!" Ichigo groaned aloud as a man quickly wizzed right up to them with the kind of superhuman speed all sales people seemed to have, his footsteps clunking loudly against the ground as he walked. "Come in, come in," the man said grinning widely as he forcefully ushered them into his small shop.

"Hey, watch the hands Urahara!" Rukia growled, trying to remove the man's hands from her waist, just as Ichigo was struggling to break free from the man's grip on the back collar of his shirt as he attempted to flee.

"You're both in such luck," the man continued, ignoring their complaints as he practically shoved them both into his shop. "We just got a brand new game in today- and since you two are my most valuable customers, I'm offering to let you try it out for ten days absolutely free of charge!"

Ichigo shared a skeptical glance with Rukia, both knowing Urahara never did anything for free without there being a some sort of personal benefit for the shop keeper. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him. "What's in it for you?" he questioned, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What? Why would I need anything in return?" Urahara asked waving his fan dismissively at them. "I'm simply trying to be a hospitable manager who desires nothing but the satisfaction of his customers."

The two "customers" glanced at each other again then back at shop keeper before both uttering a quick, "See ya," and making their way towards the nearest exit.

However, the retreat was brought to a quick halt as a large man sporting an Urahara Shop apron just happened to step out in front of them, completely blocking the entire doorway.

"Ah, Tessai-san!" Urahara exclaimed jovially, snapping his fan shut. "Just in time! Please, show our lovely customers the new merchandise."

"As you wish," the large man replied, pulling out an overly large, colorful box from behind his back to showcase it to the two teens.

"We'll take it!"

Ichigo slap a hand to his forehead as Rukia clutched the bunny laden box to her chest, grinning like idiotic school girl and squealing happily as if she had the real animal in her arms.

/o/o/o/

As soon as the two friends had reached Ichigo's temporarily abandoned house, Rukia had immediately sat down on the floor, propped open the game box, and began searching through its contents while Ichigo plopped down on the couch in the living room, propping his feet up on the coffee table to observe.

There was a high pitched squeal of joy from Rukia and Ichigo's eyes widened to the size of saucer plates.

Ichigo was seriously trying not to laugh. He really was. But seeing Rukia sitting in front of him, smiling cheerfully, wearing that ridiculous hat, made the task almost impossible. The laughter just seemed to keep building up in Ichigo's throat, every so often managing to escape from his lips in small snorts and chuckles which became harder and harder to disguise.

As Rukia held the large, floppy white "bunny ears" (which looked more like hacked off pieces of carpet glued hastily to the bicycle helmet decorated in Christmas lights) close to her face, cuddling in their softness, Ichigo quickly turn his head into the cushion of the couch and just busted out laughing. He was laughing so hard he had to clutch at his stomach as it began to hurt and tears welled up in his eyes.

Rukia just stared at Ichigo as he practically shook on the couch (which really did nothing to cover up his boisterous laughing.) She rolled her eyes and shrugged being already used to Ichigo's terrible sense of all things cute and adorable.

Rukia placed her attention once again on the game box and absolutely beamed as she pulled another object from the box. "Ichigo! Look what I found!" Ichigo glanced over at Rukia mid-laugh and froze, his amusement now completely gone. "Bam!" Rukia exclaimed holding up a second helmet. "Now you can join in the fun too!"

All color seemed to drain from Ichigo's face. "Oh, hell no!" he yelled, jumping up from the couch. "Ain't no way you're getting me to wear that ridiculous looking thing!" he said pointing a shaky finger at said thing as if it were very head of the devil.

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a wet blanket, Ichigo," Rukia complained, frowning at Ichigo. "It's not like anyone is going to see you. So just put the damn hat on and let's play."

Ichigo glared at her with as much fury and anger in his eyes as he could muster that would normally have the biggest and most frightening of men running cowering in their shoes. But the small girl stood her stance stubbornly glaring right back at him as she held out the repulsive thing to him. A battle of the stares presumed, electric bolts practically shooting out of their eyes, as neither of the two refused to back down.

/o/o/o/

Rukia smiled triumphantly at Ichigo who sat grumpily on the couch, a pair of fluffy, brown bunny ears falling down around his face, absolutely refusing to meet her gaze. "Oh quit sulking," she said to him. "Trust me, this will be fun." Ichigo just continued to pout.

She smirked at his childish actions before returning her gaze to the paper held in her hand labeled "Instructions." It didn't really explain much, simply saying to place the hat firmly on the head, making sure the safety straps were pulled comfortably under the chin, and then to turn on switch on the back of the helmet for "virtual reality fun." It seemed simple enough.

Rukia was slightly confused as to how exactly this contraption was supposed to work, but she didn't really question it much. She turned to Ichigo. "It says there's supposed to be a switch at the base of the helmet that should turn on the game," she explained as she felt around for her own switch. Finding it, she quickly pushed it up and waited...

After about a minute of silent waiting, Ichigo finally spoke, breaking the silence. "What a surprise..." he said in mock-seriousness. "_Nothing_ happened... What do you think could have _possibly_ gone wrong, Rukia?" Rukia made sure that her switch was indeed turned up, then proceeded to re-read the instructions carefully. Ichigo rolled his eyes angrily. "_Che_- it's no wonder Urahara let us try it out for free- this game's a piece of crap!" he declared throwing his hands up in frustration. "That stupid-"

Just then, a sudden prickling feeling shot through the base of their necks. "Ouch!" Rukia exclaimed, her hand flying up to the base of her neck.

"What the... hell..." Ichigo muttered dazedly as his vision slowly began to tunnel in.

Everything around them slowly began blacking out. Rukia fell with a soft plop onto her side in the floor and Ichigo slumped down on the couch. The two bodies lay completely motionless in the silent room as a distant clock chimed noon...

/o/o/o

Ichigo grumbled as he slowly began regaining consciousness. His head was pounding, and the stupid clock was not helping his headache. He groaned outwardly, holding his head between his hands as he wobbly sat up. After the pounding subsided, Ichigo slowly blinked his eyes open, allowing them to adjust to the dim lighting. A soft mumbling next to him, made him turn his head to the left to see Rukia's sleeping figure on the ground next to him.

She began to stir as well as the clocked continued to chime loudly from outside. "Wh... what happened?" she asked drowsily as she sat up. She groaned as well, placing a fist to her forehead.

Ichigo blinked again, rubbing his eyes as he stared at the clothing she was wearing. "Rukia... What the hell are you wearing?" he asked in wonder.

Rukia looked down at herself, shock surfacing to her features as she saw the brown rag draped over her small frame, a simple piece of rope tied around her waist to give it some form. Then she looked up, about to say something, but after inspecting Ichigo, she immediately forgot what she had wanted to say and smirked. "I could ask you the same thing," she simply said.

Ichigo quickly looked down at himself, seeing Rukia's same outfit on him, only slightly longer, and proceeded to clamp the skirt of the dress down between his legs. "What the freaking hell!" he yelled as the heat rose to his cheeks.

Rukia laughed louder at his reaction. "Ichigo's in a dress! And blushing! Ahahahaha! Oh my gosh! If only Renji were here! I- oh I need to get a picture of this! I..." Her voice trailed off as she began to take in her surroundings for the first time, her eyes trailing over the dark brown cloth hanging a few inches over them and draping down to either side of them. "Ichigo, where's your living room?"

The cloth that hung over them flapped lightly, and Ichigo's and Rukia's attention was caught by the thin stream of light that seeped into their small, dim housing from the front of the place.

They looked at each other momentarily before carefully crawling over to the light. Ichigo pushed back the flap of cloth, bright sunlight shining through onto their faces, and the two slowly poked their heads through, staring in awe at their surroundings.

Cheery towns people bustled to and fro in front of them, down cobble stone streets, dressed in all assortments of clothes from rags very similar to those Rukia and Ichigo wore, to all kinds of fancy garbs, from pants, to tights, to silk dresses and gowns, to tunics and kilts, to even capes, walking around in boots of soft leather or clanging metal, slippers both heeled and not, or simply bare footed.

Horses clopped along the people, men in uniforms and metal suits riding atop of them; small stands lined the streets, merchants yelling aloud, selling everything from food to jewels to medical remedies; kids ran rampant, playing games or sneaking a piece of bread, yelling words out to each other.

The town was thriving with life as a bell (what Ichigo had at first thought a clock) rung loudly from a distance again and again as people made their way towards the large church at the center of the town.

Rukia and Ichigo were down right gaping with their mouths' ajar. It was as if they had jumped right back in time into the middle ages of England.

"Hello there, strange travelers-" Ichigo and Rukia just about tumbled backwards into their puny tents in shock as they stared at the floating, glowing, yellow orb that had suddenly appeared before them. "-and welcome," a female voice resonated from within the orb, "to the Land of Bunnies."

"... The game worked," Rukia whispered.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ So, mind sending me a little review and telling me what you thought whether it be good or bad?


End file.
